Stargate | |
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| Origin | Trondheim, Norway |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
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Stargate is a Norwegianrecord production andsongwriting duo, composed of Tor E. Hermansen (born 14 October 1972) and Mikkel S. Eriksen (born 10 December 1972) and based inLos Angeles, California. The duo has been credited on hit songs and albums for AmericanR&B,pop andhip hop acts.
Formed in 1996 inTrondheim, Norway, Stargate broke into the USrecording industry in 2001, with their first major credit on the single "One Night Stand" by British girl groupMis-Teeq, which peaked within the top five of theBillboard Dance Charts. Stargate and Mis-Teeq saw further US chart success with the release of "Scandalous", which peaked at number two on the chart, as well as within the top 40 of theBillboard Hot 100.
In 2006, Stargate produced the single "So Sick" by American R&B singerNe-Yo, which peaked atop theBillboard Hot 100. They have since produced ten songs that did so, such asBeyoncé's worldwide hit "Irreplaceable", andKaty Perry's "Firework". The duo has worked extensively with Barbadian singerRihanna, having produced her singles "Don't Stop the Music", "Rude Boy", "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", "S&M", and "Diamonds", all of which were met with worldwide commercial success.[3][4]
In 2013, they produced the song "Almost Home" forMariah Carey, which accompanied theWalt Disney filmOz the Great and Powerful and won the 2013World Music Awards for the World's Best Video.[5]
Stargate started in 1996 as a songwriting trio inTrondheim, Norway, consisting of Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, and Hallgeir Rustan (born 11 April 1966).[6][7] When they first met, Hermansen was atalent scout for the Norwegian branch ofWarner Music Group, Eriksen owned a studio,[8] and Rustan was amechanical engineer before becoming involved in music.[9] One of their first successful productions was with Norwegian R&B singerNoora Noor, whose first albumCurious was produced in their Trondheim studio. "Need You", her main hit from this album, was released throughout Europe and gave Stargate attention from the British music industry. While in Norway, they ventured into the British market, mostly writing songs for R&B and pop performers.[9] At this time they called the team Stargate, a name specifically established for their projects in the United Kingdom.[9]
Stargate's first international success came with British pop outfitS Club 7, whose 1999 single "S Club Party" reached No. 2 in Australia and No. 1 in New Zealand. This success was followed withHear'Say's 2001 single "The Way to Your Love", which peaked at No. 1 in the United Kingdom.[10] The team has also produced many Top 10 hits in the United Kingdom for acts such asBlue,Mis-Teeq andAtomic Kitten,[6] and worked with European actsJavine,Shola Ama,Five, andSamantha Mumba.[11][12]
The team had been listening to US hits and "trying to measure up".[6] They remixed US hip hop and R&B songs, adding layers of melody to suit the European radio audience. In the wake of their early successes, the team had to choose whether to remain in Norway or move to pursue their goals: "We knew that to make the records we really wanted to make, we had to go to America."[6] Hermansen and Eriksen chose to produce records in the US, while Rustan preferred to remain a producer in Norway since he did not want to leave his family behind.[7][9]
In 2001, Stargate produced and co-wrote songs for US pop singerMikaila'sself-titled debut album. "So in Love With Two", a track from the album, had reached No. 25 on the USBillboard Hot 100,[13] becoming one of the team's earliest co-written singles that appeared on the US charts. It was followed three years later with Mis-Teeq's "Scandalous", which peaked at No. 35 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 in the United Kingdom.[8]
In the spring of 2005, Eriksen and Hermansen settled in New York. Initially, their work was slow until they met singer-songwriterNe-Yo atSony Music Studios in New York. Aware that Stargate produced R&B records, Ne-Yo, who had been working on his debut album,In My Own Words, decided to collaborate with the team. After listening to each other's music, a songwriting session ensued and spawned in its second day. The song "So Sick" later topped the Hot 100 and ushered Stargate into US pop songwriting.[6][8]
Stargate andNe-Yo collaborated on the hit single "Unfaithful" for Barbadian singerRihanna's 2006 albumA Girl Like Me.[6] In the same year, Stargate again collaborated with Ne-Yo for the single "Irreplaceable", recorded by US singerBeyoncé. The single topped theBillboard Hot 100 for ten consecutive weeks in 2006 and 2007.[14] Also in 2006, Stargate and Taj Jackson gave singer-songwriterLionel Richie with "I Call It Love", his first R&B hit in 10 years.[15]
With the team's contributions to music, Stargate emerged as the No. 1 hot producer on the 2006Billboard Year End Chart.[15] In the following year, Stargate received aSpellemann (a Norwegian equivalent of theGrammys). The team received three awards at the 2007ASCAP Pop Music Awards for the songs "So Sick", "Sexy Love" and "Unfaithful"; and two awards at the 2007 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards for "So Sick" and "Sexy Love". They were named Songwriters of the Year at the 2007 ASCAP/PRS, receiving nine awards including Song of the Year for "So Sick".[16][17]
In 2007, "Beautiful Liar", a duet between Knowles and Colombian singerShakira, became another hit for Stargate, reaching No. 1 in more than 30 countries including the United Kingdom.[18] The song earned Hermansen and Eriksen theIvor Novello Award for Best-Selling British song (the song was composed by British songwritersAmanda Ghost andIan Dench, thus making it eligible for the award).[19][20]
At the 2008 ASCAP Pop Music Awards, Hermansen and Eriksen received five awards for most performed songs, with "Irreplaceable" among the top five.[21][22] Stargate was named Best Hitmakers inRolling Stone magazine's "Best of Rock 2008".[23] At the2008 Grammy Awards, Eriksen and Hermansen received nominations for five separate songs in six categories, includingRecord of the Year for "Irreplaceable",Best R&B Song for "Hate That I Love You" andBest Dance Record for "Don't Stop the Music".[12][24]
On Ne-Yo's third album,Year of the Gentleman, Stargate produced and co-wrote four songs, including the singles "Closer" and "Miss Independent", the latter of which reached No. 1 on theBillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[25] At the2009 Grammy Awards, Stargate received nominations in more than 10 categories,[26] winning Best R&B Song for "Miss Independent".[27]
In 2010, Stargate producedWiz Khalifa's song "Black and Yellow", which reached No. 1 on the Hot 100,[28] andSean Kingston's "Letting Go".[29] They also produced five No. 1 singles for Rihanna: "Rude Boy", "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", "S&M", and "Diamonds".[30] In 2012, Stargate co-wrote and co-producedOwl City's single "Shooting Star" on theEP of the same name.[31]
In 2013, the song "Almost Home", co-produced and performed byMariah Carey for the filmOz the Great and Powerful, won theWorld Music Award for the World's Best Video.[5]
As a favour, Stargate also produced the song "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" for Norwegian duoYlvis. The song was intended as a joke for Ylvis's Norwegian talk show, but became an unexpected viral hit, with over 900 millionYouTube views as of December 2019. The video was produced in return for the Ylvis brothers portraying the Stargate duo in a mockumentary.[32]
In 2015, Stargate produced and co-wroteColdplay's smash single "Adventure of a Lifetime."
Stargate teamed-up with hip hop mogulJay-Z to launch the record labelStarRoc. The label, which is based at Jay-Z's Roc the Mic studio in Manhattan, will be a 50/50 partnership with the team and Jay-Z's entertainment company Roc Nation.[33] Eriksen and Hermansen's connection with Jay-Z, then the CEO ofDef Jam Recordings, began with the release of "So Sick"; they met through then-Def JamA&R Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith, a longtime friend of Jay-Z.[34] StarRoc released one album, theself-titled release fromAlexis Jordan, in 2011.[35] As of 2016, the website's registration has expired. No posts have been made on the label'sInstagram account since mid-2013,[36] and itsTwitter postings ceased in March 2014.[37] The current status of the label is unknown.
In addition to their new venture, Eriksen signed a global co-publishing deal withEMI Music Publishing[11] which would further EMI's involvement with Stargate's future projects.[38] Prior to the deal, EMI had been involved with Hermansen's projects for nearly ten years since he signed a deal in 1999.[11] Hermansen and Eriksen will also continue their joint-venture partnership, Stellar Songs, with EMI.[38]
In 2021, Eriksen and Hermansen launched the Los Angeles Academy for Artists and Music Production (LAAMP), a year long intensive music programme for 45 writers, artists and producers. The programme features mentoring fromNe-Yo,Charli XCX,JetsonMade,Emily Warren andJohn Cunningham.Jeff Rabhan, chairman of theClive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, joined the programme as executive director.[39][40]
Mikkel Eriksen owns part of the Norwegian clothing firm JohnnyLove which they are trying to introduce to the US market.[41] On the US launch party in New York on 12 October 2011,Jay-Z came to show his support and explained to the reporter that he was "a little bit Norwegian, as I am sure you know."[41]
Tor Erik Hermansen owns a third of the award-winning NorwegianSt. Lars restaurant inOslo, together with international TV chefAndreas Viestad[42] and Face2Face-founderPer Meland.[42]Queen Sonja of Norway[42] and former Norwegian prime ministerJens Stoltenberg are regular guests.[42] The owners have tried to bring some of the ambience from the New York restaurantThe Spotted Pig, owned by Jay-Z, to the restaurant.[42]
Stargate chiefly produces songs in theR&B,pop,dance-pop,Europop andhip hop genres.[1][2][8] Hermansen and Eriksen grew up as R&B and hip hop fanatics in the Norwegian suburbs, where most youths listen toEuropop and Americanrock music.[23] Their interest in music started in the 1980s withbreakdance and rap.[7] Eriksen and Hermansen were raised onpop music, growing up listening toABBA (both were Scandinavian) and German pop outfitBoney M. In an article byThe New York Times,Jive Records presidentBarry Weiss, who had hired Stargate to produce songs, said, "Those influences lend themselves to them making very melodic pop records, with great hooks and choruses."[6] According to the team, they have always loved American pop music, citing acts such asPrince,Michael Jackson,Usher,Destiny's Child, andR. Kelly, as well as the British bandDepeche Mode, as their inspiration.[7] The team also cited producersAntonio "L.A." Reid andKenneth "Babyface" Edmonds of the 1980s R&B bandThe Deele, and R&B-pop production teamJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as their early influences.[8]
In their usual production style, Stargate first creates aninstrumentalbacking track—also common in pop and hip hop productions—from which a collaborator would write lyrics and add a vocal melody to.[6] In an interview withAbout.com, the team explained:
We always start out with a musical idea. Great effort goes into creating a solid melodic core. We both play the keyboards and program, but in general Mikkel plays the instruments and controls Pro Tools, while Tor has the executive overlook as well as lyrical input. However, we both are hands on and have no rules or limitations. When we have some killer beats and musical starting points, we hook up with one of our favorite topline writers, who gets cracking on the lyrics and melody. We make sure there's a lot of melody in the track, so it can inspire the writer. Together with the topline writer we work, often tweak and simplify the song, and never quit before we feel we've got a killer hook.[34]
Ben Sisario ofThe New York Times described Stargate's music as "sugary, lilting R&B in theMichael Jackson vein leavened with the kind of melody-rich European pop that paints everything in bright primary colors ... Their work carries on a tradition of Scandinavianbubble-gum artistry that stretches fromAbba toMax Martin".[6] Sisario added that, unlike other producers in the US, "Stargate signature is more difficult to detect, because to some degree the duo's style is an adaptable method, not a specific sound".[6] However,Atlantic Records A&R Steve Lunt pointed out that "if you put a bunch of Stargate songs together you will see the thread running through them".[6]
Critics found some of Stargate's succeeding works a replica of "Irreplaceable"'s musical formula. Regarding the song "Tattoo" byJordin Sparks,Rob Sheffield ofRolling Stone commented that the team "have no shame about churning out 'Irreplaceable' replicants forever", reprising the acoustic guitar-drum loop formula.[43]The New York Times music criticKelefa Sanneh said it "sounds like a cousin" of "Irreplaceable".[44] The release ofChris Brown's 2007 single "With You" produced similar impressions: Sheffield, in his review for Brown's albumExclusive, believed that Stargate was "just trying to roll out 'Irreplaceable' one more time".[45] Hillary Crosley ofBillboard magazine wrote that "With You" "leans a bit too heavily" toward "Irreplaceable".[46]Stylus Magazine also noted thatRihanna's Stargate-produced single "Hate That I Love You" was a rehash of the duo's previous work with Ne-Yo: "Here you've got the 'Sexy Love' drums, the 'Irreplaceable' strum, and a bit of the synth and chorus melody from 'So Sick'... is hardly the new twist all these old bits need to sound fresh."[47]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR [48] | AUS | CAN [49] | FRA [50] | GER [51] | ITA | NZ | SWE | SWI | UK | ||||||||||
| "Wilder" (featuring Tyler) | 2001 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||||||
| "Easier Said Than Done" | 2002 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 55 | ||||||||
| "Waterfall" (featuringPink andSia) | 2017 | 30 | 19 | 86 | 36 | 47 | 81 | —[A] | 67 | 38 | 47 |
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| "1Night" (featuringPartyNextDoor,21 Savage andMurda Beatz)[53] | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Folk er fake" (featuringOnklP & Unge Ferrari) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Be Right Here" (withKungs featuring Goldn) | — | — | — | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Album |
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| "Carry You Home" (Tiësto featuring Stargate &Aloe Blacc) | 2017 | Club Life, Vol. 5 - China |
| "Rise Up" (Stargate featuringNelson Mandela) | 2018 | Global Citizen – EP 1 (by Los Unidades) |
| "Voodoo" (Stargate andLos Unidades featuringTiwa Savage,WizKid,Danny Ocean andDavid Guetta) |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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| 2008 | "Irreplaceable" | Record of the Year | Nominated | [54] |
| "Don't Stop the Music" | Best Dance/Electronic Recording | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | Year of the Gentleman | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2010 | I Am... Sasha Fierce | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | Teenage Dream | Nominated | ||
| "Only Girl (In the World)" | Best Dance/Electronic Recording | Won | ||
| 2022 | "Hero" | Nominated |
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